Editing History of Armenia (section)

===Artaxiad dynasty===
{{Main|Artaxiad dynasty}}
[[File:Armenian Empire.png|thumb|The [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]] at its greatest extent under [[Tigranes the Great]]]]

The Hellenistic [[Seleucid Empire]], controlled Syria, Armenia, and vast other eastern regions. However, after their defeat by Rome in 190 BC, the Seleucids relinquished control of any regional claim past the Taurus Mountains, limiting Seleucids to a quickly diminishing area of Syria. A Hellenistic Armenian state was founded in 190 BC. It was a [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] successor state of [[Alexander the Great]]'s short-lived empire, with Artaxias becoming its first king and the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty (190 BC–AD 1). At the same time, a western portion of the kingdom split as a separate state under Zariadris, which became known as [[Lesser Armenia]] while the main kingdom acquired the name of [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Greater Armenia]].<ref name="Urartu/Armenia" />

The new kings began a program of expansion which was to reach its zenith a century later. Their acquisitions are summarized by Strabo. Zariadris acquired [[Acilisene]] and the "country around the Antitaurus", possibly the district of Muzur or west of the [[Euphrates]]. Artaxias took lands from the Medes, Iberians, and Syrians. He then had confrontations with [[Kingdom of Pontus|Pontus]], Seleucid Syria and Cappadocia, and was included in the treaty which followed the victory of a group of Anatolian kings over Pharnaces of Pontus in 181 BC. Pharnaces thus abandoned all of his gains in the west.<ref>{{cite book|last=Redgate|first=Elizabeth|title=The Armenians|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|year=1998|pages=65–68}}<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref>

At its zenith, from 95 to 66 BC, Greater Armenia extended its rule over parts of the Caucasus and the area that is now eastern and central [[Turkey]], north-western [[Iran]], [[Israel]], [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]], forming the second Armenian empire. For a time, Armenia was one of the most powerful states east of Rome. It eventually confronted the [[Roman Republic]] in wars, which it lost in 66 BC, but nonetheless preserved its sovereignty. Tigranes continued to rule Armenia as an ally of Rome until his death in 55 BC.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fuller|first=J.F.C.|title=Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier, and Tyrant|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=1991|page=[https://archive.org/details/juliuscaesarmans00full/page/45 45]|isbn=0-306-80422-0|url=https://archive.org/details/juliuscaesarmans00full/page/45}}</ref>

The [[Third Mithridatic War]] and defeat of the King of Pontus by Roman [[Pompey|Pompeius]] resulted in the Kingdom of Armenia becoming an allied client state of Rome. Later on, in 1 AD, Armenia came under full [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] control until the establishment of the Armenian Arsacid dynasty. The Armenian people then adopted a Western political, philosophical, and religious orientation. According to Strabo, around this time everyone in Armenia spoke "the same language."<ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3WqaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA43|title = Armenia Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments|isbn = 9781438773827|date = September 2013| publisher=International Business Publications, USA }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>